The do’s and don’ts of shared laundry rooms

The shared laundry room occupies a strange space at the intersection of errand and community. It’s a place to check a chore off your list, sure. But it’s also, in many ways, a neighborhood hub – one of the last third spaces (i.e., somewhere besides your home or office) where you don’t have to buy an $8 latte to hang out for a while. It’s a place for sharing news, chitchatting with neighbors and forging connections with fellow laundry warriors.

It’s also a source of conflict. And it’s not just laundromats. If you’ve ever lived in a dorm or apartment building without an in-unit washer and dryer, you know the joys and horrors of a shared laundry space, where you’re as likely to run into a friend as you are the nemesis who seems to always be hogging the machines. Natural points of contention abound: clothes left in a machine long after it’s beeped, dirty lint traps or a neighbor playing a loud video on their phone without headphones.

Many communal laundry spaces have rules posted, but over time, they can get lost, forgotten or ignored. If you find yourself in uncertain waters about how to be a good neighbor, don’t fret. We asked laundry and etiquette experts for their best tips on how to handle some of the most common faux pas. Here’s what they had to say.

Moving someone else’s clothes

Perhaps the most common laundry room etiquette argument surrounds removing someone else’s clothes from a washer or dryer. On one hand, who’s comfortable with a stranger – or, maybe worse, a neighbor – touching their undergarments? On the other hand, there are only so many machines, and it can be frustrating to delay your laundry because of someone else’s poor time management skills. In the age of smartphones, how hard is it to set a portable timer?

If you find yourself in this situation, the experts agree: Ask a laundromat, dorm or apartment attendant to move the items.

“We don’t really advise the customer to move someone else’s clothes, because it can turn into a problem,” says Myron Ward, owner of Family Laundromat in D.C. “We’d rather deal with it ourselves.”

Brian Wallace, CEO of the Coin Laundry Association, says the rules might depend on the laundromat. While some owners recommend leaving clothes alone, others say it’s OK to move clothes after an allotted time has passed since the cycle ended. A general guideline is to give other customers a 10-minute grace period.

Things get a bit murkier if you’re in an apartment building with fewer machines than a commercial laundromat and no one on duty watching the room. In that case, Lizzie Post, the co-president of the Emily Post Institute, suggests following the rules of the establishment. If they’re not marked or labeled, ask a front desk worker or a landlord for guidance.

Moving someone else’s clothes, even 10 or more minutes after the cycle has ended, should be a last resort.

Try to stay on-site

The easiest way to avoid judgmental glaring in a shared laundry room is to flip or remove your laundry as soon as it’s finished. That means staying on-site, if possible. But if you must run an errand, Post recommends factoring in what she calls “oops time.”

“I missed the bus stop, I didn’t get through checkout fast enough to catch that cab, or whatever it is,” she says. “You’ve got to factor in not just how long it would actually take you, but how long it would take you with delays.”

If you anticipate an errand might take you longer than the time left on your machine, Post recommends leaving a note, especially if you’re in an apartment building. Write what time you anticipate returning, say that it’s all right to remove your laundry and include where the reader can find your basket, should they need it.

“A note that lets people know what’s going on and what you would feel comfortable with them doing in order for them to be able to proceed and move forward with their day is really thoughtful if you’re going to leave,” Post says.

Be careful what you wash

The only thing worse than an occupied machine is a broken one. Avoid being the cause of damaged equipment by checking your pockets before you run your cycles. Gum, ink, pens and coins can break washers and dryers, forcing other customers or neighbors to do their laundry elsewhere. Though laundromat machines are built to handle large, heavy loads, Ward advises against washing items like bath mats with rubber bottoms, which can clog a washer and melt in a dryer.

“We have guys who work in construction and don’t check their pockets, so screws and drill bits can come out of their pocket and break the glass on the front of the machine if it hits the right way,” Ward says.

Pet owners should also be courteous by using washing machines designated for items with pet hair. Or Wallace recommends running the soiled item through the dryer first to remove the bulk of the pet hair. Just make sure to empty the lint trap right after or let an attendant know that a locked lint screen should be cleared for the next customer.

Also avoid using too much soap, which Wallace says is among the top complaints of laundromat owners. Detergent buildup can clog valves and other washer components, preventing proper drainage and eventually damaging a machine. According to Consumer Reports, you don’t need more than 1.5 ounces of detergent – or one pod or sheet – per load.

Go at the off hours

Laundromats – and shared laundry rooms in apartments – are what Wallace calls a “rush-hour business.” If you prefer a room to yourself (or have a favorite machine) consider going at odd hours.

Wallace recommends doing laundry on midweek mornings. Avoid busy times: Friday evenings and any time on Saturdays and Sundays.

Be friendly, but know when people want quiet

A laundry room where you spend a good hour or two of your time each week might feel like an extension of your living room or a place to socialize, especially if it’s in an apartment building. Etiquette experts say there’s nothing wrong with using the time for some friendly conversation – especially if you’re stuck there for a while – but they also say it’s not rude to politely excuse yourself.

“You’re not expected, in your living zones, to be social,” Post says. “It’s not like ignoring people at a mixer event that you went to. It’s choosing to fold your laundry or do your laundry on your own for a bit and to not engage with folks. And that really is perfectly OK.”